Weight of a Leader
by ElectricBlaster
Summary: Ruby Rose survived the fall of Beacon, but her team is separated and two of her friends are gone. She's kept her smile and determination through all of it, but her regrets from that day begin to surface. Can she keep her sadness away, or will her despair consume her? One-shot.


**A/N: Whew! Glad I could finish this before the month was over!**

Being the leader of a team meant a lot. Ozpin was right. Being the leader wasn't just a title, as he had said. Ruby knew well what he had said to her, but didn't really understand it until now.

And now… she was beginning to question her worth for such a title.

Clearly, something had been up that day. Mercury being up and around after the "incident," the White Fang attack and releasing Grimm into the school, the fall of Beacon…

Penny…

She managed to get away from that fight, but it played constantly in her mind. She wished she could have gotten there sooner. Done something! Anything!

Yet, it was as she saw it in her mind. Penny - an innocent little girl, built by Atlesian technology - but a girl, no less, torn apart and lying in pieces on that arena ground.

She cried. She could stop a robber, stop some criminals and Mountain Glenn, but she could not save Penny… She climbed onto a hijacked Atlesian ship, fought hordes of Grimm… but never in her life did she think she would have to see her own sister, lying on the ground… defeated… and her arm… gone with Blake hurt.

" _Hey… She's gonna be okay…"_ Sun had said.

Those words did nothing. Yang was _not_ going to be okay! What kind thing was that to say?! Hand-to-hand was her way of fighting, a part of her livelihood! Jaune and Pyrrha were still missing. Those words said to her on her first few days at Beacon rang in her mind.

" _If you are not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you?"_

" _I'll find them…"_ she had said. " _I'll find them and I'll bring them back."_

She was the leader. It was a responsibility thrust upon her, but she was strong. She had to be.

But she couldn't find them…

" _Please, you have to stop her!"_

She couldn't bring them back.

" _Don't worry about me!"_

Neither of them…

" _You have to save Pyrrha…"_

Ruby raced to the top of the tower. It was to save Pyrrha! If she couldn't find Jaune, then at least save her!

But she didn't… She showed up just in time to witness her end…

Weiss was taken back to Atlus.

And Blake… ran.

And Yang…

She couldn't do anything to help them…

Everyone gave up. Weiss and Blake were gone and Yang was done.

" _Silver eyes… That's an extremely rare trait…"_ Qrow had said to her.

" _So?"_

" _You're special, Ruby. And not in the 'Daddy loves his special little angel' kinda way. You're special the same way your mom was."_

Everyone was ready to give up. She'd be lying if she said she was ready to do the same. It would be easier to do just that.

But she couldn't…

" _It was said that those born with silver eyes were destined to lead the life of a warrior."_

And so, despite the tragedies, the failures… Her failures… Ruby stood up with her aching body and decided to not let it end here. She wanted to help people, just like her mother. She was special, just like her.

It didn't seem that anyone saw her vision, though. Tai didn't want Ruby going anywhere.

And Yang…

 _"You can do whatever you want. I'm gonna lie here."_

 _"Yang…"_

 _"Just leave me alone…"_

Not even Yang could build the strength to move forward. Ruby blamed herself. She couldn't protect her sister… like she protected her so many times before. Every time Yang pushed her, she now realized it was out of love. Her big sister just wanted to keep her happy and safe. Making new friends, tried here and there to teach her hand-to-hand combat.

" _I love you…"_ she remembered saying to her softly at her bedroom door.

 _No! I have to keep moving forward!_ She thought.

And so, she gathered the remnants of Team JNPR and set forth towards Haven, hoping to get some answers as to what happened to prevent the same tragedy from happening there.

Team RNJR had a nice ring to it. While they didn't really decide on an official leader yet, she could still feel the weight of of the fall of Beacon on her shoulders. Haven was far, and Ruby recalled many times of making camp from the night. She didn't really feel like she should have called them to Patch, and wondered what compelled them to come back after everything. Ruby really did try so hard to perform at her best, but she still felt like it wasn't enough.

What reason did she give the others to follow her?

Even after eight months, she was still suffering. Even after eight months, Jaune was still suffering. When she saw him in those woods that night, she never saw him swing with such rage.

" _I know this can be frustrating. And it can feel like so much effort to progress such a small amount."_

Pyrrha…

" _But… I want you to know that I'm proud of you. I've never met someone so determined to better themselves. You've grown so much since we started training. And I know this is just the beginning. Jaune… I… I… I want you to know, that I am just happy to be a part of your life. I'll always be here for you, Jaune."_

All she could do for then was sigh. Turn away. There was nothing she could do… Just like before… Just like now… Keep moving forward. She told herself this every time, but what made her think she could be able to do anything once they got to Haven? She had to try, though, because if not her, then who?

* * *

Jaune was broken inside. He didn't realize what he had until it was too late…

Pyrrha was gone… Even after he was told, it took a while for him to accept it. They had become so close, it was almost like Pyrrha was one of his sisters. Maybe… even something more. Pyrrha kissed him that night. They held hands during the Vytal festival. He was finally accepting that Weiss just wasn't interested and found someone who had been in front of him this entire time. All he wanted was to help Pyrrha like she helped him, but she would let him, and she wouldn't say why.

And now it was too late….

Jaune thought, with the fall of Beacon, the goal of becoming a Huntsman to better himself was over. He thought all of this was over.

And yet… there was Ruby, who called and told him of how the enemy's trail led all the way to Mistral. Maybe, just maybe, they could get some answers. Maybe… that woman would be there, too.

He made many mistakes while growing up with his sisters. That didn't stop while he was at school, either. But he never forgot the leader pep talk he got from Ruby, and it continued to ring in his mind ever since Pyrrha died.

" _You're a leader now, Jaune. You're not allowed to be a failure."_

" _But, what if I'm a failure at being a leader?"_

" _Mmm… nope."_

Ruby… ever playful and cheery. Back then, though, he took those words seriously, regardless.

" _Jaune, maybe you were a failure when you were a kid, and you might've been a failure the first day we met, but you can't be one now. You know why?"_

" _Uh, because-"_

" _Because it's not just about you anymore. You've got a team now, Jaune. We both do. And if we fail, then we'll just be bringing them down with us. We have to put our teammates first, and ourselves second."_

Ren and Nora, lost as he was, looked to him for the next step. To him, Ruby was that next step - The way forward. So, he accepted, and made his way to Patch to meet up with her.

It was shocking to see Ruby as she was, despite everything. She had told them what happened to Weiss and Blake, along with Yang's current state. Yet, even when Beacon was under attack, she still kept her smile and determination.

* * *

So, here they were in Mistral. Haven was still far away and they had their encounters of Grimm, not mention the remains of that small town they came across.

Despite the despair and everything that was telling them to turn back and and give up, Ruby wouldn't have any of it.

"Come on, guys! If we pick up the pace, we can hit the next town before sunset," said Ruby.

"Assuming it's still there," said Jaune.

"Of course it'll be there!" said Ruby. "This one's supposed to be pretty big." She looked at the map to read the name. "Hee… gan… ba-bayna."

"Higanbana," Ren corrected her. "It's a well-protected village with a popular inn."

"Which means, no camping in the rain!" Nora chimed, happily.

This made Ruby perk up a little more.

"See? Everything's gonna be fine," she said, glancing at Jaunce.

Yet another shot of Ruby's optimism. Jaune thought they could all use, though.

"You know, we've had our ups and downs, but things could be a lot worse. Really thought we'd see more Grimm."

"As did I," Ren added.

"I guess our luck is finally turning around," said Nora. "To Higanbana!"

"To Higanbana!" Jaune and Ren said together.

"To Higanban…" Ruby trailed off, trying to pronounce it. "-banna!"

To their luck, Higanbana was still intact. The rain had began to drop, but they found the inn quickly enough to get shelter. So they got a room for themselves.

The beds were bunks. There was one on both sides, which made Ruby flashback to her days at Beacon. Those unsafe-looking makeshift bunk beds… It was complete mystery of how they stayed up for so long. It was probably overrun with Grimm now…

 _No!_ Ruby thought. Those negative thoughts kept creeping into her mind lately, no matter how hard she tried to keep them out.

Once it was late, everyone got ready for bed. An hour or so went by, but she still couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, something bad crept into her mind when she tried to relax.

" _Do you believe in destiny?"_

" _Yes…"_

" _Jaune…"_

" _PYRRHA!"_

Ruby sat up. She shook her head, trying to rid of these thoughts. She was the leader of her new team… maybe. She was strong. She had to be.

With nothing else to do, Ruby stood up, pulled her boots on and wandered out of the room.

* * *

Jaune awoke in the middle of the night. The rain seemed to be calming down from earlier.

"Hey," Jaune whispered. "Hey, Ruby. You awake?"

With no answer, Jaune got out of bed. He pulled his shoes on and once he was standing, he glanced at the bed above his.

Ruby wasn't there.

Jaune grabbed his sword and shield and walked out into the hallway, looking both ways before pressing forward. Once outside, he caught a glimpse of red around the corner.

"Ruby?" said Jaune. He wondered where she was going, but he didn't want to catch her attention immediately.

The inn wasn't too far from the outside of town. Strangely enough, that's where Ruby was heading. Suspicious as this was, Jaune wanted to keep going.

He soon found himself in the woods. It was similar to the one they camped in previously where Jaune had secretly went off to train. Ruby left his sight a few times, but he memorized her trail.

Ruby approached a giant tree. Safe from the rain, she let down her hood and sat down against it.

" _You know, you're a lot like those fireflies."_

" _I am? How so?"_

" _You light up my life."_

" _Aw, Ruby. You are a bioluminescent bug to me, as well."_

The words Ruby exchanged with her friend rung in her mind.

"Penny…" Ruby said softly. She looked up at the fireflies, as her eyes began to water.

" _I'll find them… I'll find them and I'll bring them back…"_

The memories she tried to keep at bay for so long could no longer be blocked. She had tried to stay positive, because that was her nature: To keep moving forward.

Ruby wanted to fight monsters, because it was fun. She wanted to help people, because it was the right thing to do.

But what could she do, when she fails to help those people? She made promises and she couldn't keep them. She couldn't help Penny and she couldn't save Pyrrha. She couldn't even find Jaune and bring him back to safety when Beacon was falling.

She continued to cry for those she lost. She couldn't help them. She always tried to find a way, but she couldn't find a way through her failures.

Suddenly, she heard the screeching of a Nevermore. Ruby stood up, reaching for her scythe… only to realize that she left it at the inn.

Quills rained down from the sky and one almost hit her. Suddenly, Jaune jumped out, cutting the sharp-ended feather in half.

"Jaune?!" said Ruby.

"Ruby, there you are!" said Jaune.

"W-What are you doing here?" said Ruby.

Jaune saw into her silver eyes. The white of her eyes were a little red from crying.

"I… I guess I could be asking you the same question," he said.

"Jaune, I… I'm so sorry…" Ruby said. Another tear escaped her left eye. "I couldn't do anything…"

"Anything for what?" said Jaune.

Ruby continued to cry, covering her eyes. Jaune gently gripped her shoulders.

"Ruby, what's wrong?" said Jaune. He gazed up at the sound of the Nevermore screeching. "We have to go."

Jaune grabbed Ruby's hand and pulled her along, heading back towards the town. Earlier, they were on that same path, optimistic, and now Ruby, of all people was falling apart. At least she was finally quieting down. Suddenly, an Ursa emerged from the bushes, forcing Jaune to block it with his shield.

"Jaune!" Ruby yelled.

"Ruby… RUN!" Jaune yelled. He was knocked over by the force of the Grimm. Ruby ran, all right… fast enough to charge into the Ursa in a swarm of rose petals before it hit Jaune, knocking it towards a tree. The last thing Ruby could recall was a tree falling a wave of dust.

* * *

When Ruby awoke the next morning, she felt confused. That, and her body hurt pretty bad. She had no idea how she got back at the inn, or why she was in Jaune's bed. A more focused pain was on her head. She sat up just as the door opened and saw Jaune.

"Ruby!" Jaune exclaimed. "You're awake!"

Ruby saw Jaune smile and was reminded of Tai. He was by her side after Beacon fell, and she couldn't help but feel bad for leaving him behind, along with Yang.

She was so lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't notice that Jaune was talking.

"So, if you're wondering where Ren and Nora are, they went out to get some food and some medicine for you."

Jaune's smile faded. He couldn't bring himself to face Ruby while he said what he was about to.

"I just wanted to say… thank-you for saving me, Ruby," he said. "There's no way I could have…"

He stopped, bringing himself to look at his friend. A single tear escaped her Ruby's left eye.

"Ruby?" said Jaune.

"I'm so sorry…" Ruby said, softly.

"For what?"

"I… I-I couldn't… save her…" Ruby said, wiping away more tears. "Not Pyrrha… or Penny… I…" She hugged herself with her arms. "Team RWBY is gone and I couldn't even save Yang's-"

Jaune quickly ran over to her side. Throughout the journey, Ruby has kept a brave face through it all, smiling and keeping the team on top. Yet, seeing her in pain made him see that she was suffering like the rest of them.

"Ruby, it's okay," said Jaune.

"No, it's not!" said Ruby. "I promised I'd help Penny… that I'd bring you and Pyrrha back to safety and I couldn't do any of that… And what kind of Huntress forgets her own weapon?!"

"Ruby, you just weren't thinking straight," said Jaune. "You're always so positive, but it's okay to get upset about things like this."

Ruby wiped her eyes once more and looked at Jaune.

"I know you did everything you could," Jaune continued. He looked over at his sword and shield, neatly leaning against the wall. "You didn't kill Pyrrha. Cinder did." Then he looked back at Ruby. "But look at this: You kept moving. You helped us when it seemed hopeless. We're not giving up… and I know you won't either."

"I miss Yang and Dad…" said Ruby. "I hope they're not mad at me…"

"Well… I hope my sisters aren't either," said Jaune.

Ruby smiled a bit. They both left without asking. That was something they had in common.

"Listen, next time you feel like this, don't bottle it up," said Jaune. "Cry, yell, do whatever you have to." He put a hand her shoulder. "You can even talk to me."

Ruby took a deep breath. She moved her hand and touched Jaune's.

"Thank-you, Jaune," said Ruby.

"Get some rest," said Jaune. "We can leave when you're better."

Ruby laid back down, letting Jaune pull the blanket over her. And with that, she fell asleep.

 **A/N: I thought about writing this when I started to notice the lack of spotlight Ruby's had in the series. I hope they give her some growth in Volume 6, or something.  
**

 **Have an idea for a one-shot? Feel free to let me know. If I know the game/show/cartoon/movie/book/anime/manga I might consider it.**

 **One-shot of March**

 **The Letter - Super Smash Brothers**

 **Other Stories:**

 **Skyward Bound - Legend of Zelda**

 **Splatoon: A Fresh Spark - Splatoon**

 **Broken Worlds - Steven Universe**


End file.
